The Rock & Fountain Inn
Encyclopedia
The Rock & Fountain Inn is a public house located in the village of Penhow on the outskirts of Newport
, South Wales
. It was originally built in the 17th century as a coaching inn on the busy transport route linking Chepstow
, Caldicot, Caerwent and Newport
.
The Rock & Fountain site was acquired by current owners Newport-based Bolwell & Hayward Ltd from film director Stephen Weekes in 1987. It continued in use as a public house until 2009, when it and the surrounding 5-acre site underwent a £1m renovation and redevelopment. The inn reopened in November 2010 as a steak and seafood restaurant.
The inn was sympathetically restored. Many characteristic features have been preserved including the original wooden bar surface, windows frames and panelling while a new open central fireplace has been added between two areas of the main bar.
The site also contains eight studio and one-bedroom apartments, located in a converted 17th century listed barn – previously occupied by the local blacksmith – and a new building as well as the Indian Cottage restaurant in an old tithe barn.
Plans are underway for the introduction of a new ‘tented village’ at the top of the site, which will provide additional event space.
The village of Penhow also boasts Penhow Castle – arguably the oldest inhabited castle in Wales
– and the Church of John the Baptist, which dates back to the 13th Century.
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
. It was originally built in the 17th century as a coaching inn on the busy transport route linking Chepstow
Chepstow
Chepstow is a town in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the River Wye, close to its confluence with the River Severn, and close to the western end of the Severn Bridge on the M48 motorway...
, Caldicot, Caerwent and Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
.
The Rock & Fountain site was acquired by current owners Newport-based Bolwell & Hayward Ltd from film director Stephen Weekes in 1987. It continued in use as a public house until 2009, when it and the surrounding 5-acre site underwent a £1m renovation and redevelopment. The inn reopened in November 2010 as a steak and seafood restaurant.
The inn was sympathetically restored. Many characteristic features have been preserved including the original wooden bar surface, windows frames and panelling while a new open central fireplace has been added between two areas of the main bar.
The site also contains eight studio and one-bedroom apartments, located in a converted 17th century listed barn – previously occupied by the local blacksmith – and a new building as well as the Indian Cottage restaurant in an old tithe barn.
Plans are underway for the introduction of a new ‘tented village’ at the top of the site, which will provide additional event space.
The village of Penhow also boasts Penhow Castle – arguably the oldest inhabited castle in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
– and the Church of John the Baptist, which dates back to the 13th Century.